Chapter 12
Lila
Sullivan left me a note.
A fucking note.
It’s all I can think about as I enter Grandma Val’s mini mansion and make my way to the dining room where she and Audrey are already waiting.
I’m a few minutes late on purpose, but I’m a few minutes later than I planned because the man I love was missing from my bed this morning. And in his place was a fucking note.
Lila, we can’t do this again. I won’t be the reason you lose everything. You deserve only the best, and I won’t stand in the way of that.
I squeeze my fist, crushing the stupid piece of paper even tighter. After I handle Grandma Val, I have to see a certain mountain man about his dumbassery.
But first, judgment day.
“You’re late,” Grandma Val says, a smug smile on her face. “I almost started without you.”
“Go ahead,” I say, unbothered. “Give the recipe to Audrey. You were always going to anyway, right?”
Audrey, my poor unsuspecting cousin, looks shocked.
Grandma Val, however, looks amused.
“You were never going to win, dear,” Grandma Val says, sliding a sealed envelope across the coffee table to Audrey who’s seated on a loveseat opposite her. “The odds are just not stacked in your favor. Ever since your mother—”
“Can you just cut the shit already, Grandma? I’m not my mother.
In case you haven’t figured it out, I don’t even keep in contact with her anymore.
It’s not my fault she didn’t tell you about me until I was twelve.
It’s also not my fault that she turned out to be a horrible person.
In fact, that’s probably more your fault than anyone else’s. ”
“Well I—”
“I’m not done.”
Audrey bites back a smile, and knowing I have an ally gives me the courage to keep going.
“I’m adding a raccoon to my logo. I’m not going to pretend that Roxi didn’t break into my bakery and get drunk off my desserts, because that’s exactly what happened.
If that turns people away, so be it. But I think it’ll have the opposite effect.
I will succeed or fail on my own. Your recipe is not the lifeline I once thought it was.
I may have a track record of bad decisions in my wake, but moving to Daisy Hills and taking a chance on my dream is not one of them. Neither is falling for Sullivan West.”
Grandma Val looks pale. Maybe I should stop. But dammit, I’m on a role.
“I don’t know much about the stupid land feud, but get over it. Grandpa sucked at poker. We all know that.”
“It’s true,” Audrey pipes up, shrugging her shoulders.
“You also have this beautiful mini mansion on top of the biggest hill in town, so I think you made out okay.”
“Best spot in town,” Audrey agrees.
“Sullivan dropped everything to help me after I found Roxi in my bakery at five thirty in the morning. He wants to see me succeed. For reasons I still can’t quite fathom, you seem to want to watch me fail.”
Grandma Val looks close to tears, so I finally shut up.
“I can do anything I want with this recipe, right?” Audrey asks her.
She nods.
“Then I’m giving it to Lila.”
“What?” Grandma Val and I ask in unison.
“If anyone earned this, it’s Lila. She overcame something that should’ve put her out of business, and she didn’t let it break her. Isn’t that what being a Hamilton is all about?”
Much to my surprise, Grandma Val nods. “You’re right.
” She looks to me, apology in her eyes. “My grievances are with your mother, not you. I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself, and I’m a humble enough woman to admit when I’m in the wrong.
I’m sorry I’ve been so cruel to you. You haven’t deserved any of it. I’m going to do better.”
“What about Sull?” I might be pushing my luck here, but I can’t seem to stop myself.
“I was wrong about him,” she admits.
“Speaking of Sullivan, I have a man who needs his head pulled out of his ass.” I hold up the sealed envelope as I look at Audrey. “What would you say about a collaboration?”
“I would love that,” Audrey says, a smile spreading.
“I was wrong about you too, Lila,” Grandma Val says. “You’re nothing like your mother. From now on, I promise I’ll remember that.”
“I’ll call you out if you don’t.”
“You really are a Hamilton,” Grandma Val chuckles, swiping at a stray tear. “Now go get your man, sweetie.”